A family just finished adopting their 13 year old son from Ukraine. They gave me permission to share some of their emails.


First blog on their adoption is here.


Second blog on their adoption is here.

3/23/06


Coming home tomorrow with [our son].


........those of you who have gone before know how it is to run from place to place, hoping officials are in the office and such. We sprang [our son] from the internat on Monday and have been bouncing around ever since.


Embassy [visa processing] went very smoothly. Have been sight-seeing in Kiev because [our son] has never been out of [his home town]. He is happy and excited to be coming home.


.........he understands quite a lot of English and is speaking in short sentences. When reading, he sounds out sentences, but I'm not sure how much of it he comprehends. Still, I am amazed. Even with the electronic translator I could not decipher if the mystery meat at the food store was in fact bacon.


This is probably really old news, but our POA [power of attorney] told us that the NAC is closing for the month of April. Presumably to reorganize.........


I also heard they were moving their HQ [to new Department on Adoption and Child Rights Protection] but don't know when that will happen.


Also, we brought [our son] to the NAC to give flowers to our psychologist Oksana. It was interesting because:


a) He was disappointed by the look of the building. There is a building diagonally across the street with beautiful mosaic tiles on the facade and he thought that was the NAC.


b) Once inside, the security was bemused that we would bring an actual breathing child to the office, and let us through immediately.


c) I empathized with the couples in the waiting room; I know how they feel.


d) Once we met Oksana, I was really touched by her reaction. At our appointment she was all business. Looked a little bored. But when we brought [our son], she just sort of lit up. She spoke to him in such a sweet tone, like you would talk to a 5 year old. She asked him a lot of questions, and his answers must have been amusing because everyone in the room chuckled.


e) On the way out, [our son] was greeted by the NAC attorney who wished him well. Then a couple from Spain stepped up to speak to all of us. Their English was quite good, and they asked us about our initial meeting with [our son].


They are seeking a child of 3, so I don't think their experience will be quite the same. Then again, whose is?